Once again, this is a chapter delayed by the copious amounts of homework and, well, life that are getting in the way of what is important—namely, fanfiction…

After reading my previous statement, I must admit there's something wrong with me.

Enjoy!

…

As soon as Lloyd's backside hit the leather of Zelos' couch, he realized just how damn tired he was. His legs ached, his back ached, and his head and heart were still pounding from the day's events. He leaned back, closed his eyes, and sighed, and this releasing of breath was the only sound in the room apart from the hurried thumping of Raine and Genis' heartbeats and Zelos' more steady. Colette and Presea's hearts and breathing were both oddly slow. The Chosen of Tethe'alla sat himself gracefully in a chair matching Lloyd's couch and crossed his legs, the leaned forward, both elbows planted on one leg, to survey them over clasped hands.

"So…" he eyed the room, "Have a seat, please. I promise my furniture doesn't bite…" Lloyd opened his eyes and focused them on Zelos, trying to determine if he was being humorous or preparing to investigate. By the blatant curiosity in Zelos' periwinkle eyes, the answer to this question was obvious. "Well, I'm sure you saw this coming, but I've got a few questions to ask you."

Raine and Genis seated themselves, but Colette and Presea remained standing, their eyes betraying empty minds and their faces as blank as dolls'. Professor Sage eyed Zelos wearily. "We've nothing to hide, ask anything and we'll answer it to the best of our abilities…"

Listening to the defensive tone in Raine's voice and seeing the wariness in her features, it was no small wonder Zelos doubted the group's trust in him. If there was one thing Lloyd wanted to change, one small, nearly insignificant thing, it would be how included Zelos felt in the group. It was strange; Lloyd had gone so far out of his way to keep what he was beginning to know as the timeline as close as possible to its original path, even going so far as to watch Colette lose her soul for a second time. Why then would he break this vow for Zelos' feelings?

Lloyd had pondered this answer since the idea of helping Zelos' transition into the group had entered his mind, and he always returned to the same answer: guilt. That Zelos had felt the need to betray them, perhaps even to die in order to finally gain acceptance with the group was a part of the past that weighed heavily on Lloyd. This was not to say that Colette's losing her soul, or Luin's and Iselia's destruction did not make him flinch with shame whenever he recalled the mistakes he had made, but they were, or so he had been told and was discovering for himself, vital to the timeline. Zelos' mindset was not so vital; it was practically insignificant when compared to the driving force that Colette became after the group tried to save her.

And, despite everything, Lloyd dearly wished he could change some of his little mistakes: this was step one.

"So, how do you know Yuan?" Zelos went straight into his questioning. "I didn't know he did a lot of business on your side."

Before any of his friends could respond with hostility or indignation at Zelos' "your side" comment, Lloyd jumped in. "Oh, he's kidnapped me now…three times? Yeah, three, so he owed me. And after we found out about Cruxis, we kinda ended up being on the same side as the Renegades. They weren't going to just go and kill all of us, so we decided that as long as we didn't try to, you know, turn Colette over and Regenerate Sylvarant, they'd help us get over here and save her."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Zelos held out his hands as if it could stop the conversation. "What do you mean "found out about Cruxis"?" He raised a perfectly shaped red eyebrow, almost all of his attention focused on Lloyd now. "What do ya' mean, Red?"

"Lloyd," Lloyd corrected absently. "Kay, see, we were on the Journey of Regeneration, and…" He talked himself to a croak explaining everything they knew about Cruxis and the Desians. He knew Raine was giving him dirty looks and Genis was almost asleep, though equally as mistrusting as his sister, but Zelos was too absorbed in the tales to notice anything.

"Wow," he said when Lloyd had finished, "S' a lot to take in, Bud…" Zelos sat back, and Lloyd wondered just how much of his story really was new for Zelos. Certainly, the parts about the Desian uprising, and probably the ravaged cities must have been news. The rest, however, was simply reality to Zelos Wilder.

Raine was watching Zelos' reaction carefully, but the Chosen of Tethe'alla was a better liar than Lloyd through and through and he gave no hint of his own knowledge. "…despite how insane it sounds," she added softly, "it is the truth. All we want to do now is save our friend…"

Zelos eyed them all, "…you realize that even if you somehow manage to save the little angel, you're not going home, right? I mean, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you're a national threat. Though my bet says, you're smart enough to have known that before you walked into the castle on your little mission." The last was added with a slightly knowing smirk.

There was silence for a moment as Zelos gave the group time to let his words sink in. For Lloyd and Raine this had, indeed, been something they'd realized long before they had stepped foot into Tethe'alla castle, but by the pained look in Genis' eyes, it truly was the first time this unpleasant thought had found its way into his mind.

"Well, I suppose we should get the formal introduction out of the way, then." The silence was broken by Zelos' too-chipper voice as he clasped his hands together and looked around at them with a wide smile. "As I'm sure you've gathered, I'm the Great Zelos Wilder, Chosen of Tethe'alla."

"I am Raine Sage," the Professor said smoothly, her manners perfected despite her meager upbringing, "and this is my brother, Genis. That is Lloyd Irving, Colette Brunel, and Presea Combatir. Presea is new to our group, we met her earlier today…" She was carefully watching the young girl. Presea stood staring off at nothing, but when all attention was suddenly on her, she blinked for the first time in several minutes and turned her head to look dully at them.

The Chosen of Tethe'alla tilted his head. "Wait, so the little rosebud isn't from Sylvarant?"

"Ozette." For a word with so much emotion and pain associated with it, she seemed almost bored.

"Ozette! That little village way out in the boonies! You're a long way from home, sweetie. Whatcha doin' here?" Zelos raised an eyebrow, clearly disapproving of a child commuting from "all the way out in the boonies."

"Working," she replied hollowly. Presea's large, unblinking eyes seemed to throw Zelos off a bit. They were unnerving, even Lloyd had to admit.

This being Zelos, however, he was quick to recover and stood up, "Well, it sounds like we've all had a pretty damn long day, so let's all get some sleep and we'll start on our way to Sybak tomorrow."

"Sybak?" Raine stood as well, though the gesture was clearly meant to put her on the same level as Zelos, not imply that she was ready for bed.

The Chosen nodded, "If you're gonna find a cure for the little angel, you need look no further than Sybak, the whole place is full of researchers who'll know a thing or two about Cruxis Crystals. It's just across the Grand Tethe'alla Bridge, a day and a half's walk from here, if we make good time. You should be glad you've got such a fantastic tour guide, we'll be getting the royal treatment. I had to pull a few strings with His Royal Highness, but it'll be worth it, you'll see!"

…

Lloyd did, indeed, sleep that night. He doubted he had done much sleeping in the past month, with the exception of his being knocked unconscious in the Tower of Salvation. And he didn't count it. However, as something seemed finally to be going in the direction Lloyd wanted it to, his mind finally let him rest. Even the images of Kvar storming Welgaia couldn't stop his eyelids from drooping, and the next morning it took the combined forces of Raine, Genis, and Sebastian dragging him out of bed to wake him.

The sun was barely up when the group left Meltokio, the sky was stained light shades of pink and blue, whispering of a warm, sunny day. The path they were walking was a straight, paved, well-worn stone walkway, and what few monsters had already been appearing in Tethe'alla due to Colette's near-Regeneration were far off in the clumps of trees and distant mountains that shaped the horizon.

Over breakfast, it had been decided that Presea would accompany them to Sybak, and once their business was completed, they would continue the rest of the two-day journey to Ozette. Lloyd had nodded and gone along with the plan enthusiastically, despite knowing that it wouldn't work out, but anything that seemed to go along with his timeline was welcomed.

It was midmorning when they reached the bridge, and the very sight of it had Genis once again begging to let them use the Rheiards to fly to their destination.

"But why not?" The young half-elf whined, looking out at the impossibly long bridge.

"Cause!" Lloyd sighed, having already tried to explain the situation to his young friend. "We don't have enough! I'm the only one strong enough to fly two people, but the Rheiards won't carry that much weight, Zelos and Presea can't fly them, so even if we could get the weight to work, they'd end up crashing, and Yuan said that we don't have enough fuel to be flying all over the place! We're walking! We managed it in Sylvarant just fine!"

Raine was nodding along with Lloyd's logic—though this fact seemed to both surprise and amuse her—and Zelos was laughing, most probably at Genis' pain. Of course Genis gave in, and the six began their expedition across the bridge.

"This is the Grand Tethe'alla Bridge!" Zelos announced excitedly, "It's the most technologically advanced and architecturally sound structure in the entire world! It took a century-and-a-half to build, and was finished all of a decade ago! It's links the Altamira and Fooji continents and is actually equipped with a drawbridge for transportation reasons." He seemed almost giddy as he introduced the group to the bridge. "The whole thing is run by over three thousand exspheres, so it's completely self-contained as far as the power source goes. Bet you bumpkins don't have this kinda stuff in Sylvarant!"

His last statement had a sobering effect on Raine and Genis severe enough that Zelos actually noticed. It was with a sigh that Raine spent almost half of their journey across the bridge explaining to Zelos what they had learned from Kvar about exspheres. To Zelos' credit, he seemed genuinely horrified by the revelation.

"Damn…" he muttered, running a hand through his long hair, "that's a lot to take in on a first date…" Despite his attempt at humor, there was something truly haunted in his words.

The next hour was spent in silence as the group trekked in the increasingly hot sun across a bridge that spanned miles and miles. They could see neither coast when they stopped for a short rest and lunch at about the half-way marker. Lunch was homemade rolls, sent by Sebastian, apples, some jerky, and a bag of nuts that the group passed between hands. Aside from several swigs of his water, Lloyd ate very little. It appeared that his sleep was more than enough human indulgence for the moment.

It was this lunch, though, that loosened Zelos' lips again, though whether this was for the best was a question up for debate. While Lloyd was slowly picking apart his roll, eating only every three chunks and throwing the rest into the ocean water for the fishes, Zelos sauntered up to Lloyd and wrapped an arm around him. "So, Bud, I gotta know, how the hell do you keep this lot in line?"

"Lloyd," he corrected again, "I dono, I don't really… We're here for Colette, she's the one keeping things going." He didn't look at Zelos as he spoke, but let his eyes wander out to where the sky and the water met, far to the East. If he pretended, he could see the Toize mountains, but he was almost sure the peaks in the distance were just his imagination.

Zelos laughed, "She may be your inspiration, Bud, but you're holding this show together! Come on, share your secrets!"

"…luck?" Lloyd finally looked at Wilder, his own rust-colored eyes meeting Zelos' periwinkle. It was true that Lloyd honestly couldn't place exactly when and how he had become the unofficial leader of their world-saving disaster. He had only really noticed it after they'd gotten to Tethe'alla, at least the first time around, but he suspected that he had been controlling the group for far longer. There may have been a power struggle between Raine and Kratos over what was best for Colette, but it was he, Lloyd, that they both would have turned to and listened to. Considering that even after being from the future, Lloyd still felt stupid, he couldn't understand this at all. "Maybe it's just 'cause I've known everyone the longest or something…though I really do just think it's luck."

The Chosen of Tethe'alla shook his head in exasperation, "Lloydie, you don't just get to be leader through pure luck. I'm sure you've got some trick up your sleeve. Spill."

Lloyd turned away from the ocean and let his back slide along the railing until he was sitting. "I'm serious! Without people like you and Yuan, I don't know what the hell I'd do. Sure as hell wouldn't be this far. Honestly, we'd probably all be dead… I never did thank you for sticking up for us back in the castle, did I?" Lloyd looked up at Zelos, who seemed almost taken aback by Lloyd's honesty. "Well, thanks. Like I said, we'd be dead without you."

"Hey, no problem Bud. When you've got three pretty girls running around with you, you know the Great Zelos isn't going to let anything happen!" He laughed, as if the whole thing was a big joke, and retreated from Lloyd, leaving the boy to stare out to sea again. There had been something like shock written in the furthest depths of Zelos' eyes. Lloyd had to admit, Zelos was a better actor than his father, because Lloyd had almost missed his reaction.

…

Even in high noon sun, Sybak was ever-bustling. The streets, filled with intense foot-traffic, were loud, and the few snatches of conversation that Lloyd caught were almost unintelligible, largely due to their scientific content. He let Zelos lead the way through the small square that made up the majority of the commerce offered in the scholar's town and past the largest library in two worlds. It was larger than Palmacosta's cathedral, which once boasted to be the largest building in Sylvarant—excluding the Tower of Salvation, of course.

The Chosen led them through the crowds and off onto a side road where there was less traffic; as he did so, he kept a running explanation of where they were going. "The Elemental Research Academy," he explained rather loudly, "is at the forefront of all of Tethe'alla's research. While the majority of their base-research is given to the colleges to actually carry out testing, they're the main source of the information. There've actually been rumors that they've created Summon Spirits! With that kind of knowledge, we're sure they'll be able to help our dear little Colette."

"How," Raine said quietly, "should we expect them to know anything about Cruxis Crystals?" There was something sharp in her words, though Zelos ignored it.

"Seeing as we didn't figure I'd have to go through with the Regeneration, they were lent my Cruxis Crystal for a few years to do tests. I think there was some hope of cloning it. They've given it back, of course, but they must have learned something off of it, right?" Zelos stopped in front of an unassuming building, its two stories of gray brick hinting at only another college building, and a particularly uninteresting one at that.

It wasn't until one reached the front door that they realized how heavily guarded the facility was. A guard, dressed more like one of the King's knights than a Papal Knight stopped them, but upon seeing Zelos, he allowed them inside. The group was allowed into a large foyer filled with uncomfortable-looking chairs and couches. At the far end of the room was a woman—no, a student—reading a thick text behind what looked like a reception desk.

Zelos strolled up to her, but his flirtations and announcements were lost on Lloyd, despite how the echoed in the high-ceilinged chamber. Lloyd wandered over to where Raine with a mindless Colette, a few seats down, her brother and Presea spoke quietly. Or, rather, Genis spoke quietly to a seemingly uninterested Presea.

"…you okay, Raine?" Lloyd sat down beside her. "You've been really quiet lately…"

Her eyes met his, and they suddenly reminded him of the waters around Lake Umacy, clear and cool. "…of course, Lloyd," she said convincingly enough. "I'm simply wondering…wondering how much good this trip will really do us. It seems to me…well…" She hesitated, and when her next words came, the spilled out of her. "I doubt that even the most advanced civilization can find scientific answers to the Goddess and her Angels!" She looked away, almost ashamed, her cheeks heated slightly. "…childish notions, I know…"

Very suddenly, Lloyd felt completely selfish. He felt as though he had been blind to Raine's very real pain. He remembered the way she had looked at Remiel even when he was condemning Colette to death, how she had walked Colette to that death. Raine had always clung to her faith, it having been the one consistent thing through her life. He suddenly remembered Raine, his Raine, the Raine he had left behind, in the future, telling him about when she was a child.

"The few memories I have of Tethe'alla are vague at best," he recalled her words, "I think that's largely because of the trauma I suffered while on the run. I do, however, remember my mother telling me to pray to the Angels when I was afraid. I clung to that hope of being saved by the Angels. Ironic, isn't it?" Her voice turned bitter and slightly sarcastic, "Those to whom I prayed trying so very hard to kill me."

It was no wonder that Raine now felt lost.

"…it's not stupid," he corrected, taking one of her hands gently in his own. "It shouldn't be possible…but, since the angels are different than we thought they'd be, maybe the Crystals are too. And even if they're not, we don't have anywhere else to go… We've gotta start somewhere, and Zelos and the Elemental Research Academy are our best bets." He tried to be gentle, tried not to sound judgmental, but wasn't sure he totally succeeded. Despite this, Raine looked a little bit calmer.

She nodded slowly, "Yes, of course your right…it's just felt as though things are moving so fast…"

And, though neither of them realized it, things were indeed moving very fast.

Zelos bounded back across the room, leaving behind a flushed receptionist gazing longingly after him. Her frizzed hair and bright cheeks made her look slightly unhinged. "Well, it's all settled. Someone should be with us soon!" He plopped in the last chair between Lloyd and Presea and they waited in rather thick silence until a scientist came and retrieved them.

While the scientist that led them down through the twisting halls of the academy did not, to Lloyd's mind anyway, appear to be a scientist's stereotype, the man who accepted them into his cluttered office was. He had full, bushy eyebrows and his skin was white-pale; his eyes were a watery brown and it was apparent he had not shaved in about a week. His lab coat was splattered with things that Lloyd would really prefer to remain blissfully ignorant of and through the first several minutes of speaking to him, the man had to run off twice to write down some sudden insight that had come to him in another area of his research.

It was at long last that Lloyd marched up to him and, crossing his arms in front of his chest, growled at the man to just go ahead and tell them everything he might find useful to them about Cruxis Crystals. Fifteen minutes later, at the end of what Lloyd was sure was only the introduction of the lecture, only Raine was still fully following him.

"What we've discovered, in essence, is that the Cruxis Crystal is the same, at the basis of its biology, as an exsphere! There's been extensive research done to discover how they relate and the best we can understand is that a Cruxis Crystal has been allowed to mature longer and under different circumstances, but it was, originally, a slightly altered exsphere! It's a bit like cheese, really," he added, as though trying to make the subject matter more accessible. "It's all made of the same base, but the amount and type of mold, ingredients, and maturity make it so diverse!"

Lloyd blinked at the strange comparison, but it did, in fact, make sense.

"It's in this way that the exsphere is matured, or, more specifically, the type of crest used as it is grown on its host. The more of the host's mana it is given access to, the more memories, in essence, the more soul that the exsphere can feed on, the stronger it will become and the faster it will evolve into a Cruxis Crystal. The problem is, however, that not only does the process take over two decades to do properly, but it generally requires more than one host and the hosts all have their strength sapped and die before the process can be completed…"

When the man paused to take a breath, Lloyd jumped in, trying to focus their conversation again. "So, if a Crystal is like an exsphere, doesn't that just mean that the right key crest would control it, just like an exsphere?"

The pause that stretched after Lloyd's words seemed unnecessary, but the scientist was deep in thought, and no one wanted to interrupt. "…in theory…" he mused softly, "…but the problem is, we've yet to figure out the correct designs, seals, and charms to be used on them. And the metals and refining techniques could be significantly different…" He rubbed his stubbly chin. "And if done incorrectly, the side effects may be worse than you can imagine…"

As far as Lloyd was concerned, that was as much as he needed to hear. "Alright, I've got an idea then. I'll make an additional sort of crest with protective charms to add to the crest she's already got. Between them, they should b able to bring her back to us, or at least give me a place to start…"

"Young man," the scientist spluttered, "I don't think you understand! A dwarf is required to make a proper crest, you could never—"

"Lloyd's father is a dwarf," Raine explained simply. "If anyone can do it, it is Lloyd."

The man studied Lloyd; scanning him as if he could simply tell his skill level by his appearance. "…we could allow it…" he mused after a moment. "After all, it is the King who in endorsing your movements…" Finally, his eyes focused on Lloyd. "The ore and charms we think significant will be given for your consideration…"

As Lloyd was led into a metal smith's shop deep within the Elemental Research Academy, he wondered if the scientist had taken pity on Colette, or was only helping them because he hoped this would gain him favor with the King. Lloyd suspected a bit of both. He was left to his own devices quickly and Lloyd, his fingers flying, twice as efficient as he had been the last time he had make Colette her crest in this very room, finished in four hours.

He did as he had done before, carefully carving the protective charms in the metal around the red gem in Colette's birthday necklace. When he had broken it the first time, for the sake of the "timeline," he had made the broken parts very strategically, and the charm itself was simple to fix. Now, the pendant hung on its chain again, more intricate than he had ever imagined it, as Lloyd walked through the halls to find his friends again.

They had been moved to a more comfortable and private room to eat and wait until Lloyd had finished his work. He opened the door, sweating and tired, knowing that all of his work would be, for now at least, nothing. Then, standing in the doorway, a thought struck him. It was astounding and horrifying enough to stop him mid-stride: they would not be meeting with Yuan, Pronyma, and Kratos on Mt. Fooji. This stuck him then simply because that was the vital moment when Colette struggled through to regain her soul. For all Lloyd knew, perhaps that moment would never come.

His head spun, reminding him that Pronyma was dead, that Kratos and Yuan were probably in the middle of dangerous battles against Kvar's Desians. None of them would show up even if Lloyd forced the group, for no reason, to go to the mountain.

"Bud…? Bud? Tethe'alla to Bud!" He was pulled from his thoughts by Zelos waving a pink-and-black gloved hand in front of his eyes. "You in there, sunshine? You done with the little angel's crest yet?"

Lloyd blinked himself back to reality, "Erm…yeah, finished a bit ago… Well…should we try it?" Part of his wanted Colette's eyes to spring to life again as soon as the charm was in place, and another part of him breathed a sigh of relief when they remained blank.

It was Genis who broke the silence, "…it didn't work…?" He seemed so utterly baffled by the idea that Lloyd felt ashamed. Genis had always had faith in Lloyd, even if he didn't agree with his every move. Lloyd always had an idea, had an answer, or at least an optimistic word to add. Now, he had nothing. This was clearly some of his better work; even Genis could see it, and it had done, for all intents and purposes, nothing. Lloyd's silence had proved that he had no idea for their next step.

"…apparently Lloyd's skills aren't a substitute for a dwarf's handiwork…" Raine murmured, almost as shocked as her brother, though she did a better job of hiding it.

Zelos sighed, "Well, I guess that means we need a real dwarf then. One that'll actually work for us… Anyone got any idea who to call?" He was clearly not as depressed or shaken as the rest were.

"Only dwarf I know is Dirk, but I'm sure he'd help us if we could just get over to Sylvarant…" Genis sighd. "I knew we were too far from home…"

"Well," Zelos said, a slightly hard edge to his chipper voice. "That's not an option, now is it? Remember what I said? You're here, we're helping you, you stay in Tethe'alla." His eyes narrowed.

Something sinister lit in Raine's eyes, "…but you should know by now that we've no intention of finishing the Regeneration… And you would do anything for a pretty girl, right…? If there was a way to help Colette…" Lloyd let Raine lay on the charm as he silently panicked.

"Look, 'much as I'd love to say yes, it's just out of the question. Too dangerous, too risky for Tethe'alla."

"But what if you came with us. You could stop us from doing it if we tried…"

It seemed that even Zelos knew she was playing him, but he was caving anyway. Perhaps Zelos really couldn't stand to see Colette suffer, but he had pushed it just out of reach. "…fine!" He sounded so exasperated, "I'll freaking do it! But we're going to be in a lot of trouble…"

That was, of course, when the soldiers burst into the room.

…

A lot of late nights, but I did it!

R&R

~Yoshi